Building A New Life for Others

       "... I tell you the truth whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40 NIV

     Last week, our church teamed up with AMOR Ministries and built three houses for families in Mexico. The families who are recipients of the new homes have been identified by a local Christian church as being in desperate need of a new dwelling. While living in leaky, clapboard houses, camper shells, or sheds, the families petition the church for a new home. When the volunteers start mixing the cement, laying the foundation, framing the house, the families pitch in, full of gratitude for their new homes.

     Pastors of local churches interview prospective families, selecting the neediest families based on the following eight criteria:

• Current housing situation – Where are they living right now?
• Time period – How long has the family been living in these conditions?
• Family size – How many people live in the current conditions?
• Income – What is the family’s collective income?
• Transience – How long has the family lived in the community?
• Health – Are there any health problems that having a home would make easier to solve?
• Age – Does the family care for very young or very old members?
• Resources – Does the family have other resources (e.g. a family member with housing for them in another town)?